LGBTQ community center marks first year

Almost one year ago, a community center focused on the needs of Toledo’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community opened at the Collingwood Arts Center.

The space, called Pride Center 419, was a long-held dream of many in Toledo’s LGBTQ community and its organizers hoped to offer a place to hang out, referral services, meeting space, a hygiene pantry, an LGBTQ library and more.

“It’s not exactly what we thought it would be, but it’s been so successful in a way we didn’t really expect,” said Toledo Pride Foundation Executive Director Lexi Staples. “We expected to have to run a lot more programming, but I think just the space is what was needed — a safe space for people to be able to use and have their meetings.”

“It’s going not how we thought it would go, but not in a bad way,” she said. “I think because we never had a clear-cut idea of what it would be, it got to turn into what it is without us being like, ‘No, that’s not what we wanted to do.’ You don’t always know what the community needs and it was able to become what was needed kind of on its own.”

The launch

The Pride of Toledo Foundation and Equality Toledo worked in conjunction with various local LGBTQ organizations to launch the center, located in a rented room at the Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd. The center officially opened Sept. 5 and is coordinated by Sherry Tripepi of Equality Toledo along with Staples and Thorne.

The center is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays, staffed by Thorne, during which time people often stop by to pick up or drop off hygiene products, browse the library or drop off donations and more.

One limitation has been there isn’t someone available to staff it daily, Tripepi said.

“It’s been well-utilized, but I think it definitely has more potential,” Tripepi said. “Hopefully we’ll continue to grow.”

A one-year anniversary party for the LGBTQ community and allies is planned for 6-8 p.m. Sept. 11. Refreshments will be served.

The space gets used an average of 15 times per month, Staples said.

Among the groups that have utilized the space are Equality Toledo, Why Marriage Matters Ohio, Young Gay & Proud, Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla, Toledo Pride, Owens Community College Gay Straight Alliance, AIDS Resource Center, Rainbow Area Youth and more.

The space has been used for meetings, movie nights, HIV testing, parties and more. Any nonprofit group can use the space for free, Staples said. The group does not have to be affiliated with the LGBTQ community.

The space is open for use on a first-come, first-serve basis by emailing toriethorne78@gmail.com.

Besides serving as a meeting space, Pride Center 419 offers an LGBTQ book and video lending library. A hygiene pantry is also available with many free items for both men and women.

Donations to the library and the hygiene pantry are welcome.

The center also serves as a resource for information and referrals for LGBTQ support groups, churches, charities, health services and more. Any LGBTQ group is welcome to leave brochures, business cards, newsletters, magazines and promotional items. A community bulletin board is also offered to post announcements and notices on upcoming events.

Hygiene pantry

The hygiene pantry has been a much-utilized resource, Staples said.

“We thought when we started it we would, and it has definitely turned out to be something that’s very needed,” Staples said. “People can usually get assistance or money to get food, but to get those things to make sure you’re clean and fresh are harder to come by.”

One group that regularly uses the space is Young, Gay & Proud (YGP), a peer support group geared toward African-American males ages 13-24 led by co-facilitators Christopher Coleman, Kennyetta White and Marlon Barbour.

The group, which is open to anyone, started a year ago with three attendees meeting at Coleman’s home. Now it averages 25 youth at monthly meetings at Pride Center 419, Coleman said.

“If they are having problems at home, once a month they can come and be themselves, get some food, some health products, maybe some health services they didn’t know were in the community,” Coleman said. “We try to be a one-stop shop as far as life skills and life needs for them.”

“They need somewhere to go and someone to believe in them. YGP offers a safe place to express what they are going through that day, week, month, year. To be able to have a voice, to not hide behind a curtain of sexuality, to bring a boyfriend and just live, laugh, enjoy.

The group’s recent one-year anniversary party included a candlelight vigil for 16-year-old Tyler McIntoush of Toledo, who was shot and killed in July. Although to Coleman’s knowledge McIntoush never attended a YGP meeting, he considered him a member of the group and many of his friends were regular attendees.

Possible safe house

Coleman hopes one day to be able to offer a safe house for local LGBTQ youth without a place to stay.

“One of the No. 1 demographics experiencing homelessness not just here but in the country are gay youths,” Coleman said. “In a perfect world, they would come out and their parents would be accepting and talk about it and process it with them, but that’s not always the case. Many are kicked out by those who don’t understand it and don’t want to hear it.”

During the upcoming Toledo Pride, a CD of music from the past five years of Toledo Pride will be made and sold for $7 with proceedings benefiting Pride Center 419, Staples said.

Other groups, including a men’s support group and a transgender support group, are talking about meeting at the space, Staples said.

“There’s talk of all kinds of stuff and I believe people will make it happen,” she said. “We’re very excited to promote our one-year anniversary party and we’re very excited that we’re 1 year old.”

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Memorabilia sought for local LGBTQ history project

Preserving the history of Toledo’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) community is a passion for Toledo native Rick Cornett.

“I love history and that is the driving force behind my mission to save and preserve Toledo’s gay culture and history — not to mention it is a need that has never been done before,” Cornett said. “I do it as a hobby and a labor of love for the community.”

Rick Cornett with some of his Toledo LGBTQ history collection. Toledo Free Press Photo by Christie Materni

Cornett hopes to compile enough information and materials to start a Toledo LGBT Historical Society and then work off that to create a website and Facebook page.

The 2010 deaths of local gay icons Joe Wicks, founder of the former Caesar’s Show Bar, and Gregory Knott, founder of Bretz, were the impetus behind the project, Cornett said.

“I’ve always saved special things that meant something to me, but I started seriously collecting things in 2010,” he said. “It got me thinking the old guard is slowly slipping away and no one is doing anything to preserve their memory or what they did for the gay community.”

His collection is comprised of “endless” file folders of items covering topics like religion, gay marriage, sports, bars, businesses, political groups, support groups, charities, obituaries and more. Memorabilia include T-shirts, buttons, ticket stubs, posters and ads, wristbands, business cards and more. He is also interested in collecting oral histories.

“Since I started the archives back in 2010 my collection of items has grown a lot. I’m archiving anything and everything from the Toledo area LGBT community,” Cornett said. “I hold the entire Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla archive from the past 37 years of the event. I also house the largest collection of items from the Toledo Pride Festival and Parade since it started five years ago.

“With the recent closing of gay bars OUTSKiRTS, Ripcord and Blush I gained many items of interest such as the signs from the front of Blush and Ripcord. The new owners of Mojo and Legends Showclub have been very supportive of donating items to help preserve our history and culture of the gay bars here.

“Last week my friend Jeff Nyitrai donated items from his former bar 5 One 3 plus items he had saved from the old Caesar’s Show Bar,” Cornett said. “The more people have learned about my project, the more items I gather to preserve.”

One of Cornett’s ongoing focuses is finding photos of the building fronts of Toledo’s former gay bars.

“I’m most interested in finding photos of the storefronts to former bars such as Open Closet, Rustler Saloon, Adams Town Club, Silver Slipper, Old Plantation, Scaramouche, Key West, Box Office, Up Town, Hooterville Station, Ivanhoe, Club Escape, Twilight Zone, Philcoff’s, Copacabana, Gay Pussy Cat and many others,” Cornett said. “Prior to the early 1970s it was taboo to take a camera into a gay bar and how many people really thought about taking pictures of the outside of a bar?”

He’s also looking for copies of Toledo’s LGBT publications.

“Toledo has had a varied history of publications and I find them most interesting because they hold a wealth of information from the past,” he said. “Toledo’s first gay magazine was one called Rapping Paper that started in February of 1975. Others that have come and gone over the years include Toledo Pride Pages, Pride’s Eye and Outlines. TAGALA newsletter started back in 1983 and has been the longest-lasting publication to date.”

Sherry Tripepi, executive director of Equality Toledo, said some local groups, including Equality Toledo, have archived their own histories to an extent, but there hasn’t been a collaborative, community-wide effort to organize a history.

“For groups who experience oppression and silencing, as does the LGBT community, archiving our history is even more important so the community and others can know and learn about the depth of their experiences throughout time,” Tripepi told Toledo Free Press last year.

Cornett said he welcomes anyone who is interested in preserving Toledo’s LGBTQ history to join him.

“All this takes volunteers and funding to make it a reality,” Cornett said. “Through this historical archive I would also like to bring back the Toledo Unity Picnic and an annual booze cruise. Social events like that are fading and we are losing our unity within the gay community. I’m looking for dedicated people to join me in these efforts.”

To donate to Cornett’s collection or to learn more, contact him at (419) 470-3937 or lynnfan1@aol.com.

Toledo Pride gears up for annual celebration

The biggest celebration of the local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is sure to be the fifth annual Toledo Pride Festival and Parade, at Promenade Park in Downtown Toledo. The event started in 2010 at the Erie Street Market with 1,500 attending. Last year, over 15,000 attended during the three-day event, and this year is expected to draw about 24,000 people from Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

For months the Toledo Pride committee has been hard at work with meetings, fundraisers, securing permits, and networking to gain support from volunteers, sponsors, vendors and entertainers as we raise awareness for the annual celebration. The preplanning for a growing event like this never really ends. You no sooner wrap up one year before you’re already working on the next.

Toledo Pride is a celebration of the diversity the LGBT community embraces. We unite to celebrate the history of the equal rights lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people have been working toward since the Stonewall Riots jumpstarted the gay rights movement in 1969. We welcome the allies of family, friends and co-workers although they have not always welcomed us. All LGBT-friendly people are welcome at the Toledo Pride Festival and Parade!

The three-day event kicks off on Friday, Aug. 22, with a Night Glo 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run,Walk and Roll at the University of Toledo at 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, is the main day with the Pride Parade kicking off at noon at Washington and Ontario streets and unfolding into Promenade Park. The Pride Festival starts at 1 p.m. and runs until midnight with a full day of live entertainment including singers, drag queens, drag kings and bands. Featured acts include Indie pop artist Pastele, dance hip-hop singer Rye Rye and pop-punker Eryn Woods. Other acts include Flabongo Nation, Arctic Clam, Chavar Dontae and Breaking Ground.

Toledo Pride will also include many food vendors, a beer tent and 50 booths from various LGBT organizations promoting education, health, charity groups and social support. Some booths will offer information on local churches, politics, and media outlets, as well as pride merchandise.

The Sandpiper boat will again offer 40-minute Pride Rides on the Maumee River. The Park Inn is the host hotel for Toledo Pride with discounted rates of $89 per room and they are within walking distance of the festival.

The weekend wraps up with Sunday Funday at Promenade Park with kid friendly games and family fun activities from noon to 3 p.m. There will be no alcohol sales from noon until 3 p.m. to ensure a child friendly environment. The laid back day continues until 10 p.m. with entertainment, food and

beer vendors.

Although June is gay pride month across the world Toledo Pride is celebrated in August. We are the newest of the Ohio pride festivals and we are trying to establish our event without competing against others throughout June. This ensures better support and a bigger turnout for Toledo Pride as we continue to grow.

Lexi Staples, director of Toledo Pride, and her team of dedicated committee members — myself, Deanna Eff, Nicole Hayman, Kelly Heuss, Nicole Khoury, Brent Rabie, Sandra Rabie, Mandisa Sherife-Kekulah, Brian Sniegocki, Lenny Sniegocki, Kaleena Spivey, Honnie Staples, Torie Thorne, Sherry Tripepi, and Justin Veigel — work together as a labor of love for the LGBT community without financial compensation. Beyond this committee an army of volunteers is needed to help make this event happen. If you are interested in helping volunteer please reach out to volunteer coordinator Brent Rabie at volunteers@toledopride.com

For the fourth year, Toledo Free Press will serve as the official media sponsor for Toledo Pride. If you are interested in advertising in the special Pride Guide issue, contact John McNamara at jmcnamara@toledo freepress.com

For information on Toledo Pride 2014, visit www.ToledoPride.com and like them on Facebook.

Rick Cornett is an activist, promoter and historian for the Toledo LGBT community serving on the Holiday with Heart Charity Gayla and Toledo Pride committees.

LGBTQ community center to open at the Collingwood Arts Center

The walls have been scrubbed, old carpet removed and new curtains hung. A name has been chosen, supplies donated, events scheduled and a grand opening planned.

There’s still more to be done, but the pieces are coming together on a long-held dream of many in Toledo’s LGBTQ community — an event space and resource center focused on the needs of local lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning people.

Equality Toledo and the Pride of Toledo Foundation are working in conjunction with Toledo Area Rainbow Association, a network of LGBTQ organizations, to launch the center, located in a rented room at the Collingwood Arts Center, 2413 Collingwood Blvd.

Pride Center 419 will officially open Sept. 5, with an open house set for 6-9 p.m.

One of the center’s major focuses will be referral services, said Lexi Staples, executive director of the Pride of Toledo Foundation.

“It’s somewhere to call to figure out where you can reach out if you’re a young trans man and you don’t know where to go or if you’re a youth without any familial support,” Staples said. “There are different groups that work inside of our LGBT community here in Toledo that are already dealing with these issues, so it’s not so much that we need to create a way to deal with it but more to guide people to the right spot to get them the services they need. We’re going to try to work on making sure some of those services are more readily accessible.”

Organizers plan for the center to be open at least one day a week, but hours could expand depending on response.

“If that one day goes well, we could be open four or five days, depending on what the need ends up being,” Staples said. “The main goal is to make sure there’s sustainability in what we’re trying to do.”

The room will be used as a meeting and event space for local LGBTQ groups. It will also offer a hygiene pantry. A food pantry could be added in the future, Staples said.

“There’s a lot of young adults and youth who are either couch surfing or unable to provide for themselves right now due to multiple reasons, including being disowned by their families,” Staples said. “A lot of that is going on. So we just want to be able to offer that support.”

There are also plans to create a lending library of LGBT books and movies, host movie nights and more.

Sherry Tripepi, executive director of Equality Toledo, said preparations for the opening have been in the works for about six months.

“We in the community have been talking about it for years, but as far as actually doing something probably the past six months or so,” Tripepi said. “It’s great. We have the space. It’s a step in the right direction. Hopefully we can have some events on a regular basis to get the community connected with it and using it. There’s so much potential.”

Young, Gay & Proud

One group that plans to use the space is Young, Gay & Proud, a newly formed peer support group for African-American males ages 13-24. The group will hold its first official meeting 6-7:30 p.m. Aug. 26.

Kennyetta White, left, and Christopher Coleman recently started Young, Gay & Proud, a support group for African-American males age 13 to 24. The group will meet at Pride Center 419. Toledo Free Press Photo by Sarah Ottney

Christopher Coleman, who founded the group with Kennyetta White, started hosting the group informally in his home a few months ago.

“We’ve had four or five kids come already,” Coleman said. “I’m looking forward to moving into this facility and having a safe place for them. It’s very unique. There’s nothing like this in Toledo. It’s something totally new and we’re excited about it.

“A lot of it really has to do with that key word support,” Coleman said. “They don’t get a lot of that at home. There are economic issues, school issues, employment issues. Basically [they just need] love. Because lots of times if they come out in the African-American community and family, they are rejected. Some are kicked out of the house and don’t have a place to go.

“Hopefully, with this first meeting we can target how to help some of these individuals get the things they need.”

TAP Center

The idea has been tried at least once before in Toledo. Recollections on dates differ, but in the late 1990s or early 2000s, a group of local activists, including Ed Hoffman and his late partner Dick Flock, launched the Toledo Area Pride (TAP) Community Center, in an Old West End building owned by Hoffman. The organization lasted for about five years, he said.

“The idea was to unite the LGBT community and all the various facets of it,” Hoffman said. “It never really got off the ground. It was frustrating and disappointing. There was a need there and a group of people who put a lot of time and effort into it, but it wasn’t enough.”

However, Hoffman — one of the founders of the Collingwood Arts Center — said he thinks the current effort has potential.

“Organizations seem to be working together more than they were in the past and that’s a very important step in the right direction,” Hoffman said. “The younger community is more apt to work together as one. I see that happening.

“It’s a different time we’re in right now. I’m happy with what they are doing. I think we definitely need it.”

Group works to help homeless LGBT youth

Shannon Frye, executive director of Rainbow Area Youth (RAY), has worked with as many as 160 homeless youth throughout RAY’s 16 years; and those are just the youth who have told her.

RAY, a nonprofit, volunteer-based group in Toledo, provides a safe environment once a week for 13-to 19-year-olds who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and those questioning their sexual and gender identities.

According to a 2012 report by The Palette Fund, True Colors Fund and the Williams Institute, a survey of 354 agencies serving homeless youth found that 40 percent of their clientele self-identified as LGBT. The numbers may not tell the whole truth, though, Frye said, because not all youth have self-identified as LGBT, but have started to question their sexuality or gender.

In the 16 years RAY has existed, 40-100 youth have attended the group meetings each year, totaling about 1,500 youth participating in RAY, Frye said.

“Usually we see about five to 10 kids every year that find themselves homeless at some point,” Frye said.

The number of RAY youth who disclose their homelessness to Frye is probably not all who experience homelessness throughout the year, she said.

“We have problems with kids disclosing to us that they are homeless even though they know we will help them; a lot of the kids still feel shame,” Frye said.

Most of the time, LGBT youth find themselves without a stable home environment because their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression opposes what their families are comfortable with, Frye said.

Some of the youth may not remain homeless for long periods of time, but are regularly kicked out of their homes by parents who do it as some form of tough love, she said.

“Youth homelessness is a problem because it’s not just about having a place to go, it’s now they don’t have an address for school or they don’t know how they can get to school from where they’re staying,” Frye said. “They run the risk of dropping out because they don’t have that support telling them to keep going.”

The report by The Palette Fund, True Colors Fund and the Williams Institute gathered information through “The LGBT Homeless Youth Provider Survey,” which surveyed homeless youth agencies. It found that 94 percent of the agencies have LGBT youth using their services.

Equality Toledo, an LGBT group that works to eliminate discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, has started looking into establishing an LGBT community center.

“When we’re talking about a potential need for a community center, then that’s a clear need in my mind — to provide a space for LGBT homeless youth, and others who identify as LGBT that are not youth, to be able to go to somewhere safe and not be discriminated against,” Valdez said.

“We want to make sure that there is a diverse representation of people that work with the LGBT community and provide services so that we can fully identify the need of the community center.”

The details of the LGBT community center all depend on financial feasibility, and Valdez said that is why Equality Toledo wants to start off slow in planning for it.

An LBGT community center could provide office and meeting space for many of the LGBT groups that often struggle finding space and it could grow from there to offer regular and ongoing activities, resources and support to the LGBT community, said Equality Toledo Executive Director Sherry Tripepi.

An LGBT community center would provide a stable location and space that the homeless youth Frye sees at RAY meetings could go to if they needed a resource, Frye said.

“Youth homelessness is a problem, and it’s a multifaceted problem,” Tripepi said. “It ends up having implications over most other things in kids’ lives because if they’re so concentrated at such a young age on survival, then they miss out on a lot of social stuff. They miss out on the things they are supposed to be learning how to do.”

If a community center opened up, it would be one of the better things in Toledo, Frye said, because it would provide a safe haven for the homeless youth who need a place to go beyond the weekly meeting time for RAY.

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BUSINESS

Two Chick-fil-A’s set to open in region this fall

On Aug. 1, hundreds of Chick-fil-A customers formed lines around the food court at the Westfield Franklin Park Mall in support of the chicken chain. Two months later, two new locations are preparing to open in the Toledo area.

“Because of the receptivity of the Toledo community, [Chick-fil-A] felt like we needed to grow by 200 percent in a very short amount of time in order to service the demand for our product,” said Jonathan Winn, who will operate the 4260 Sylvania Ave. location, just outside the mall.

The other new location will be at 10315 Fremont Pike, Perrysburg. Owner/operator Mike Herrick, who used to run the Chick-fil-A in the mall food court, is transitioning to the Perrysburg location. Chick-fil-A business interns will run the mall location, formerly the only Chick-fil-A in town, until Nov. 1 when a new owner comes in.

Each location is more than 4,000 square feet and includes a play area and double drive-thru lanes. About 200 employees are being hired at the two new restaurants, which will be closed on Sundays as is chain policy.

Herrick’s franchise is slated for a Nov. 1 debut and Winn’s location is set to open Nov. 29.

Winn and his family moved to the area about two and a half months ago after operating a Canton Chick-fil-A for three years.

“Our plan for coming to Toledo is to be here the rest of our lives, to be able to retire here,” Winn said. “That’s why we moved up to be here, just to be part of the fabric of the community in a big way.”

Before signing on with Chick-fil-A, Winn was a college and young adult pastor.

“One of my students said, ‘Man, you are just like one of the owners of a Chick-fil-A restaurant that we know. You should think about doing this.’ And so I researched it, hung out with a couple owners … got to know the business a little bit and decided this was something I wanted to give my life to and give my career to long term.”

Herrick had been with the mall Chick-fil-A for 21 years. Although there will be some changes, such as going from 900 square feet to more than 4,000 and from about 40 employees to 90, Herrick is confident.

“The basic idea of service is still the same. You’re still going to take care of customers the same, but the whole service model changes,” he said.

Despite his history in the area, Herrick still had to apply for the owner/operator position along with about 260 other applicants. Although Chick-fil-A owns the property and equipment, the franchise owners, like Winn and Herrick, own the business license and employs the workers.

Herrick said he was excited about the new locations and that Chick-fil-A was also looking into opening an Airport Highway location in the future.

“I’ve been the only game in town. I haven’t had any friends. Now I’ve got friends,” Herrick said and laughed.

That wasn’t always the case — Woodville and North Towne Square malls had locations that closed in the ’90s. Westfield Franklin Park Mall’s location opened in 1984 and Herrick came onboard in 1991.

The controversy

Herrick was at the helm of the mall location during Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day on Aug. 1. Controversy sparked after the chain’s president Dan Cathy offered his thoughts on same-sex marriage on “The Ken Coleman Show.”

“I think we are inviting God’s judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say, ‘We know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage’ and I pray God’s mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude to think that we have the audacity to define what marriage is about,” Cathy said.

Members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and allied community along with mayors of major cities like Boston, Chicago and San Francisco lambasted Chick-fil-A in turn. To support the chain, former Arkansas governor and FoxNews personality Mike Huckabee rallied for an appreciation day. In response, customers formed lines with hours-long waits at Chick-fil-A’s nationwide.

Herrick declined to share specific figures from the day, but did say it was record setting and extremely busy.

“It was like surfboarding on a tsunami. You’re just holding on for dear life, hoping to get to the other side,” he said. The mall location stayed open until 10:30 p.m. to finish serving customers and Herrick had to travel to Columbus the next day to replenish supplies.

Winn emphasized that Chick-fil-A didn’t market the day, but that it was a grassroots effort.

“We’re thankful for whatever stage God gives us in order to serve our food and be an impact in the community. And that was just somewhat of a bigger stage,” he said.

Winn added, “Dan was speaking his personal views on the biblical definition of marriage and that was not representative of the 1,000-plus owners that we have as a chain or the company.”

1,600 locations

The company has more than 1,600 locations across the country and has reached $4.1 billion in sales. Chick-fil-A founder S. Truett Cathy opened his first restaurant in 1946 and the first Chick-fil-A debuted in 1967.

Winn estimated that 80-90 new locations open every year. Both owners said they didn’t think boycotters had slowed down sales.

“It was the highest August we’ve ever had. We were up double digits in sales. September, we’re up more than normal so it has continued. Some of it is publicity,” Herrick said.

Herrick said of the boycott, “People don’t run to boycott Ben & Jerry’s or Starbucks because they support issues that maybe I object to. I love Starbucks and I’ll spend my money there.”

He added of same-sex marriage, “From my political views, it really clashes with my spiritual views because I’m a libertarian.”

“From a libertarian point of view, I don’t care. Just so long as your rights don’t infringe on my rights and just as long as you don’t cost me any money to enforce your rights or you don’t hurt or hit anybody.”

Gay and bisexual individuals work at the area Chick-fil-A, he added.

Winn said everyone should feel comfortable eating at Chick-fil-A.

“Chick-fil-A has had a policy now for the last 60 years since Truett opened his first restaurant in 1946, that we’re going to do our best to serve every customer irregardless of religious affiliation, age, gender, sexual orientation, and that’s really been our philosophy and our standard. So that’s going to continue to be what our policy is here in the greater Toledo area, to serve the diverse culture of Toledo residents,” Winn said.

Not comfortable

Sherry Tripepi, executive director of same-sex marriage advocacy group Equality Toledo, said she wouldn’t be comfortable at a Chick-fil-A.

“I want to spend my money and support those organizations that stand for equality for all people, including gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, and it doesn’t appear that Chick-fil-A does. So, no, I would not visit one of their franchises,” she said.

Winn and Herrick said they do not consider sexual orientation when hiring employees.

“We’re going to take a look at people-oriented applicants that have a driven passion to treat everybody with honor and dignity and respect, to go the extra mile in meeting the needs of the customer, to really seek leverage making emotional connections with customers,” Winn said.

“You’re gonna see 16-year-old men pulling out chairs for moms with their kids. You’re gonna see college-aged young ladies helping moms carry their babies out to the table for them and getting them all situated,” he added.

Both restaurants will have a “First 100” event the day/night before the openings. The first 100 customers, who will need to camp out overnight, will receive 52 coupons for free meals. Activities will be planned throughout the day and meals will be served.

“It’s just gonna be party time,” Herrick said, adding that he’s met people who have been to 32 “First 100s” and a couple who celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at one.

“I mean that’s dedication. You can’t tell me it’s for the free Chick-fil-A for a year. It’s more than that. It’s almost like a cult following,” he said.

LGBTQA leadership meeting Jan. 16

The leaders of several area lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and allied (LGBTQA) groups have decided to meet quarterly to talk about community needs and collaborate efforts.

“The goal is for the LGBT community to be working together to have increased collaboration and focus our energy and efforts to mutual programs and events,” said Sherry Tripepi, executive director of Equality Toledo.

The group, which is still deciding on a name, had its first meeting in October and its next meeting will be Jan. 16.

“There was good energy within the group to meet quarterly and combine efforts,” Tripepi said of the initial meeting.

Among the groups involved are Equality Toledo, PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), Rainbow Area Youth, Pride of Toledo Foundation, Transgender Support Group and more. Potential long-term plans include collaborating to start an LGBTQA community center, which will be discussed at the Jan. 16 meeting, Tripepi said.

Lexi Staples, executive director of the Pride of Toledo Foundation, said she is excited about the collaboration.

“Everyone is trying to do something good for the gay community, but now we’re coming together, which I think is super important and very exciting for us,” Staples said. “There are a lot of ways we can help each other.”

Leaders of any LGBTQA groups are welcome to get involved. For more information, contact Sherry Tripepi at (419) 407-6225 or info@equalitytoledo.org.